It hit me like a (half) ton of lead.

[Elkins45]

I decided to bite the bullet (pun intended) and stock up on enough alloy that I won't have to waste hours scrounging the odd wheel weight. Here's 1000 pounds of commercial 96-2-2 in five pound ingots getting ready to be unloaded from the bed of my truck.

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm35/elkins_pix/d12d51cd824490bb06681d994f2f7a72.jpg

Maybe in 20 years I'll have to make another Pb run, but for now I can spend my time casting and shooting instead of looking for lead. It's a surprisingly satisfying feeling.

[Bosshaug]

Very nice! There is a commercial smelter near me, but they are getting more than $2.00 a pound for alloy. How much are you paying for that good looking load?

[Oreo]

It needs to be said: After time, effort, propane, hazard risk, and any other incidental expenses of scrounging & smelting are figured in $2/lb for guaranteed assay, clean, consistent, and delivered is a bargain. $1/lb from trusted sources around this forum is an absolute steal. Anyone who says different has never smelted a >100lb batch before.

There's a lot to be said for just ponying up and buying your lead. Especially so if you're fortunate enough to be able to recover and recycle your own boolits.

[gandydancer]

Whom did you purchase it from? and if I may how much a lb? Thanks. Tom

[imashooter2]

It needs to be said: After time, effort, propane, hazard risk, and any other incidental expenses of scrounging & smelting are figured in $2/lb for guaranteed assay, clean, consistent, and delivered is a bargain. $1/lb from trusted sources around this forum is an absolute steal. Anyone who says different has never smelted a >100lb batch before.

There's a lot to be said for just ponying up and buying your lead. Especially so if you're fortunate enough to be able to recover and recycle your own boolits.

I say different in a loud and emphatic voice. $1 a pound after all expenses is way, WAY high for my stash and I've smelted more than 500 pounds a time or two.

There's nothing wrong with buying alloy if you have the means, but not everyone's scrounging experience matches yours.

[Fathersalt]

That is a beautiful load!!! Its nice to know from the start exactly what your alloy is. That load should hold you over quit some time. No more standing over a stinkin fumin pot scrapin of WW clips.
Of course sometimes the whole ritual of takin a potful of nasty@$$ WW and turning them into shiney stuff is just elementally satisfying.

[HATCH]

I see your 1000 lbs and raise you.

Here is what a ton looks like
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/11/30/da7u4y6y.jpg

We must shop at the same place. Got that in two days ago.

Its $1,07 a pound shipped.
Its 95/2.5/2.5

Yes you can go knock on doors and get a bucket here and a bucket there of WW. But thats a lot of time and then you got to sort them and smelt them down.
When your finished you have a alloy of unknown composition because there isn't a standard formula for WW.
Yeah they make great boolits but its still a unknown.
I would rather purchase a known alloy so I know what I got and if I want to mix it with pure lead or tin for that matter I will know exactly what i got when I am done.
I cast only pistol calibers except for 22 hornet.
With the exception of the hornet, i cast using my automated Master Caster at about 650+ boolits a hour.
Basically two boolits every 10.5 seconds.

sent from my mobile.

[I'll Make Mine]

All depends on your budget. A little over a buck a pound for a ton would cost more than my van and my little car are worth. So far, I've got about fifty cents a pound into my ingots, including the cost for camp fuel for my stove (and I just found out I can burn automotive unleaded, which will save me a factor of four over camp fuel), and I don't count my time -- time spent smelting is still fun hobby time for me. That could change; I haven't got close to the bottom of my first bucket of wheel weights yet, but the budget won't change any time soon. If I can get wheel weights for $35 now and then, and fuel for my stove at $3-something a gallon, I can do this stuff. If I have to pay out $2000+ in a lump sum to buy alloy, for no more than I can shoot, I'm better off buying bullets or boolits.

[Oreo]

I say different in a loud and emphatic voice. $1 a pound after all expenses is way, WAY high for my stash and I've smelted more than 500 pounds a time or two.

There's nothing wrong with buying alloy if you have the means, but not everyone's scrounging experience matches yours.

I say your experience is the exception.

[imashooter2]

I say your experience is the exception.

I say it is the norm for people that have been at this for a while and realize that low cost stashes are built over years, not months. You want instant gratification, you have to pay.

[btroj]

My range scrap stash is building by a few hundred pounds a year. I spend no extra gas as it is collected on regular shooting trips. I spend about 40 bucks a year on propane. Collected about 600 pounds of raw scrap this year and I get about 80 percent ingot to 20 percent dross. Figure on 500 pounds for 40 dollars spent. Pretty darn good to me. As for known alloy, I don't care. It either works or it doesn't.

Sometimes the thrill of the chase is more important than the time or expense of the chase. I enjoy picking up range scrap. Nothing like bringing home 60 pounds in one trip.

[HATCH]

If I have to pay out $2000+ in a lump sum to buy alloy, for no more than I can shoot, I'm better off buying bullets or boolits.

Let me toss this out there....
Coming soon to a town near you..... NO MORE LEAD WHEEL WEIGHTS.......
54920

Its just a matter of time before your source of lead goes away.

I have checked all the tire stores and garages near me and there isn't a source for low cost or free lead (wheel weights).
So I can purchase smelted ingots off this board for $73 for 65 lbs (from the market place) or I could get $54 for 50 lbs from the Captain(a sponsor here). That is still more then what I am paying for certified foundry lead. And if I do purchase lead that someone else smelted there is still no way of knowing that the lead I purchase is pure clip on wheel weights or for that matter doesn't have a little bit of zinc mixed in there (on accident).

Currently I only shoot about 500 rounds a year so yeah based on the rate of consumption, the 3K pounds of lead I have in my possession will last me 182 years if I cast 230 grain boolits.
But you see I cast boolits for my brother Ray and for my dad. Both of them have a higher rate of consumption then me. Also as I get older, my consumption will increase because my kid-free time will increase.
I would say my dad shoots between 100 and 200 rounds per week. so He goes through 5 to 10 K boolits a year. So if he continues at that rate (which I doubt he will as he is 72 years old) then I will be out of lead in under 10 years.

[imashooter2]

I've been doing this for 40 years and more if you count time at my Daddy's knee. I've developed, lost and developed new sources dozens of times over those years. WW went away here about 8 years ago. I simply moved on to other sources.

Again, I've got nothing against folks buying lead. Everyone has a different reality, different demands on their time, different finances. But I just can't let the "anyone that doesn't see it my way is wrong" statement float by without recounting a different reality.

Now, I believe I will stop posting and let the OP bask in the warm glow of his fresh 1,000 pound hoard. Sorry for the hijack!

[Elkins45]

Its $1,07 a pound shipped. SHIPPED? That's a bargain! I paid $1.15 and I picked it up myself.

There simply isn't a source of scrap lead around here that I have access to. All the tire shops have disposal contracts and only one of the scrapyards in a 100 mile radius sells to the public. I agree that I've always enjoyed smelting them down, skimming off the clips and pouring ingots, but when there aren't any raw materials available it's hard to do that. Driving an hour one way to pick up 15-20 pounds of scrap just isn't productive when you consider the cost of gas.

And, as others have said, it's just a matter of time before Big Brother shuts off the supply completely. I'm pretty sure the Pb wheel weight will be long gone within 10 years nationwide.

[Oreo]

I'm not saying lead can't be found. I'm just saying there's value and convenience at $2/lb because scrounging & smelting is a lot of time and work. To suggest it isn't is a lie based on my experience.

I dig my lead for free from a berm. I do it because I enjoy it like the sicko I am not because its economical.

[Elkins45]

Just as something to think about: assuming 100% efficiency that load will cast 35,000 boolets at 200 grains each.

That's 3500 per year for the next 10 years. Hmmm...when I say it like that it makes me think I may need to go back and buy some more!

[WILCO]

Let me toss this out there....
Coming soon to a town near you..... NO MORE LEAD WHEEL WEIGHTS.......
54920

Its just a matter of time before your source of lead goes away.

Yep. That's true. It's happened here. Nothing but steel falling off rims now.

[evan price]

Please share the source!

[rockrat]

I agree. Source? HMMM--Group Buy? Maybe we could get a discount getting it by the ton(s)

[HATCH]

Just as something to think about: assuming 100% efficiency that load will cast 35,000 boolets at 200 grains each.

That's 3500 per year for the next 10 years. Hmmm...when I say it like that it makes me think I may need to go back and buy some more!

Exactly. Thats why I have 3000lbs + of it now. And really thinking about buying another 1K lbs of it at the end of next month.

Oreo, some people don't have the option of going Range mining.
I am at the point in my life that I am happy to say that I have more money then I have time. So to me my time is VERY valuable. I barely have enough time to cast, size and load much less the time to locate lead, sort, and smelt it.

I got a cheaper price because I know who to ask for and I also prepay for my lead with either a USPS MO or a Bank Check.

[HATCH]

I agree. Source? HMMM--Group Buy? Maybe we could get a discount getting it by the ton(s)

No discount unless you purchase 10 tons going to one address. Thats a lot of lead.
Group buy isn't economical unless you have a bunch of guys that live close together. Shipping will eat up you up.

[WILCO]

I am at the point in my life that I am happy to say that I have more money then I have time.

Liberals don't like that kind of talk...................you're evil.

[HATCH]

it just means I work my *** off to pay for all those damn freeloaders... thats all it means.
Between work, 2 kids and then never ending "honey-to-do list", I don't have much ME time.

[4shootingmore]

Hello Too All Whom Read This.

My first post here and I would like to say thanks to all who share information here. I have enjoyed reading and learning about my new hobby. I would like to ask a question and I hope I don't offend anyone. I have noticed that some people who post here are hoarding lead believing that it will some day be banned. If lead is banned (think DDT) what will you do with your 1000's of pounds of an illegal substance? Like I said, I don't want to get off on the wrong foot or offend anyone, I really am just curios about what your plans are or if you had thought about it.

One more question. Can I change my user name without deleting my account and starting over (although, I may have to after the above post)?

rle71661

[Elkins45]

Don't think possession will be illegal, just that economical sources wil dry up. Historically most casters got their lead from type metal, wheel weights, roofing or plumbing scrap. Wheel weights are the only one of those sources still in common use, and those are rapidly being replaced by zinc.

It would be great if we could all mine berms and just keep recycling it.

[waksupi]

Hello Too All Whom Read This.



One more question. Can I change my user name without deleting my account and starting over (although, I may have to after the above post)?

rle71661

Send me a private message with the desired name, I'll change it this evening. Welcome aboard.

[ROGER4314]

I fell into a neat deal for recycled bullet alloy. I met a guy from Florida who is disabled and scratches spent bullets out of a range berm. He needs the bux and I need the lead so he ships me lead muffins of between 22 and 33 pounds. I pay just under a buck/pound and pay USPS shipping which is quite reasonable.

I am a member of two gun clubs but they prohibit digging in the berms so this works great for me. I tested the alloy against my Rotometals samples and found the lead to be equal to Lyman #2. That's probably what it was to begin with.

I like our deals because it helps both of us!

RE: Lead ban
Lead came from the ground and we are returning it to the ground. It's not a synthetic substance that will pollute and harm our world like DDT. We are simply returning it to the source. I lived in the Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma corners area. The lead and zinc mines are everywhere. There was terrible pollution there but it was due to irresponsible mining and refining methods. When the mines played out, the place was simply abandoned as is leaving a huge mess.

That's my "take" on it. I'm sure that our Liberal friends will see it differently.

Flash

[Fathersalt]

I dont think lead itself will ever be illegal, it is simply the EPA flexing their muscle under the guise of conservationism to limit or stop the use of lead as a means of balancing tires.

That being said, I was thinking a few days ago. Truthfully wouldnt that be a benefit to all us boolit casters. With an entire multi million dollar industry or customer to the lead companies gone if you will. I expect prices on lead for folks like us would be on the decrease shortly after that.
I mean if the demand dries up for the lead companies, that would be to our benefit. Might be able to get our hands on type metal straight from the foundry .50-.70/lb.
Just a thought.

[S&W-629]

if i payed for 1000# it would be grate to know that i had it but i still would allways be out trying to find cheap lead.but thats just me

[HATCH]

If demand dried up just the opposite would happen. You would have the initial drop in price while lead was "on the shelves" but once that dried up the cost would go up as the companies that mine the lead would switch to something else because the money isn't in mining it anymore. So the supply would be limited again


sent from my mobile.

[youngda9]

I'm not sure why the concern to know exactly what composition you're shooting if you're only shooting at pistol velocities...with proper size and lube the composition really doesn't matter much.

Having said that...AWESOME STOCKPILE!! Me like !!

[Jailer]

That's a great price for a known alloy, best I've ever seen. If I didn't have such good luck locally finding lead I'd consider something like that.


I say it is the norm for people that have been at this for a while and realize that low cost stashes are built over years, not months. You want instant gratification, you have to pay.

I managed to amass this stock pile in a years time when I started casting and I've only been casting for 2 years now. I've got enough WW and range scrap to melt down still in buckets that will just about double this pile. With the copper jackets I scrapped from the melted range scrap I'm still money ahead on this pile. It's out there you just need to find it.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b180/Jailer/posting%20pics/Leadstash.jpg

[762 shooter]

Not to hijack, but Jailer, where did you come up with those cool barrel/buckets?

762

[GilaMonster]

... With the copper jackets I scrapped from the melted range scrap I'm still money ahead on this pile.

Jailer - question about recycling copper jackets... when mine come off the top of my melt, there is still some lead in there, along with dross. I haven't figured out how to do away with all traces of lead in the copper.

Does that make a difference at the recyclers? I mean, he is paying for copper, not the other stuff...how do they figger that?

[Jailer]

Not to hijack, but Jailer, where did you come up with those cool barrel/buckets?

762

It's what our chemical agent at work is shipped in. I use them to store brass but they have a rubber seal on the lid and a heavy lock ring so they could be used for a number of storage needs. No I won't part with any. ;)


Jailer - question about recycling copper jackets... when mine come off the top of my melt, there is still some lead in there, along with dross. I haven't figured out how to do away with all traces of lead in the copper.

Does that make a difference at the recyclers? I mean, he is paying for copper, not the other stuff...how do they figger that?

A hot melt and saw dust flux is the key. The jackets act as little cups so you have to shake them a bit to get all the lead out. The melt has to be hot enough for you to do this before it solidifies again. The sawdust ash also helps pull the lead away from the jackets.

Most scrappers won't take your brass if it's extremely dirty or has lead stuck to it. They have to be able to accurately identify what they are taking in. I got #2 copper price for mine when I took them in and was still extremely pleased with the amount of cash I walked out with. Even after paying for part of that pile pictured above and paying for propane to melt it I'm still quite a bit ahead on my stash.

[evan price]

It's what our chemical agent at work is shipped in. I use them to store brass but they have a rubber seal on the lid and a heavy lock ring so they could be used for a number of storage needs. No I won't part with any. ;)

I get it- "Jailer" and the drums hold (according to the sticker on the top one) "Tear Gas Candles"...bet you use a lot for training and inmate control!

Nice drums, and nice lead stash.

[1bluehorse]

Exactly. Thats why I have 3000lbs + of it now. And really thinking about buying another 1K lbs of it at the end of next month.

Oreo, some people don't have the option of going Range mining.
I am at the point in my life that I am happy to say that I have more money then I have time. So to me my time is VERY valuable. I barely have enough time to cast, size and load much less the time to locate lead, sort, and smelt it.

I got a cheaper price because I know who to ask for and I also prepay for my lead with either a USPS MO or a Bank Check.

You must also be a politician of some sort...as you have very neatly avoided answering where to purchase this product when asked twice by your brother casters...drat..can't get the da%* smiley things to work....

[leadman]

Nice score on the lead.

I smelted over #1,800 in 2 days a couple of weeks ago. Mine was all clean lead of various alloys that I combined into one alloy. Still have another ton of pure in the shed for future use. I'm now hunting down cheap pewter and solder in anticipation of alloying the pure.

I found that paraffin wax will also clean the lead off the jackets well enough the scraper will take them.

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

Sometimes the thrill of the chase is more important than the time or expense of the chase. I enjoy picking up range scrap. Nothing like bringing home 60 pounds in one trip.

I am divided on this, I love the feeling of scoring a bucket of wheel weights, and if you are friendly and don't expect to always get everything free (a box of donuts goes a long way) you don't have to spend too much time knocking on doors, you just find a few places that will work with you, and if you only get 1 5 gallon bucket from each a year you'll have plenty of lead. It is also very satisfying to take that bucket and turn it into a bunch of pretty little ingots.

BUT as my free time becomes more scarce I'm scouting out prices on commercial alloys, because I'm not going to stop casting, and shooting cast, when I don't have the time to sort and smelt.

This forum is about casting boolits, not about which source of lead gives you more credibility as a caster. To me, where you get your lead from should be as much of an issue as which mold you use, something to talk about, BUT NOT something to take sides over.

[btroj]

I definitely applaud a guy for doing what he must to keep casting.
I just don't agree when people say it is just cheaper or easier to pay a buck a pound when I can get it for free. Propane is cheap enough to cost less than a nickel a pound.
People make it put to be hard or time consuming to gather range scrap. I was pointing out that it doesn't need to e a huge production. I view it as a long term proposition.

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm35/elkins_pix/d12d51cd824490bb06681d994f2f7a72.jpg



Regardless of what people think about where it came from, that sure is a beautiful sight. Enjoy it!!

Question, what is the diameter of the ingots? Do they fit in your casting furnace?

[1bluehorse]

I definitely applaud a guy for doing what he must to keep casting.
I just don't agree when people say it is just cheaper or easier to pay a buck a pound when I can get it for free. Propane is cheap enough to cost less than a nickel a pound.
People make it put to be hard or time consuming to gather range scrap. I was pointing out that it doesn't need to e a huge production. I view it as a long term proposition.

Maybe in Nebraska it's easy to "scrounge" lead but I can tell you here in the state of Washington, especially where I live it ain't..I'd have to drive at least a hundred plus miles one way to even find a scrap dealer. There is an old wrecking yard down on the hiway about 6 miles from me, but he ain't sellin...shooting ranges, ha...I haven't a clue as to where one might be...let alone "mine the berm"..so for some of us it's easier and CHEAPER (whether you agree or not) to buy lead...count yourself lucky..

[I'll Make Mine]

The only public range I recall in the Seattle area (forget the name, it's on the north side of 236th, as I recall, anyway first exit in Snohomish from northbound I-5 and not quite halfway from there to Aurora/Hwy 99 -- and it's been rather a long time, I'm not sure they're still there) was an indoor range with a bullet trap. You'd have to buy the scrap from the range operators, and they're likely pretty proud of it (that seems to be the way things work). Seattle PD/King County Sheriff share an outdoor range somewhere in south Seattle or the county, but I've never been there and I don't recall what you'd have to do to qualify to shoot there.

Since Washington banned lead wheel weights, it's likely they require automotive businesses to "properly dispose of" any old lead weights they take off, to ensure they don't wind up in landfills (and that probably means paying licensed hazmat handlers to haul them). Best you can do is probably buy commercial ingots... :(

[btroj]

Well guys, not to brag, but I just got home from the range. Was there an hour and a half. Was a bit cooler than I was hoping for and a bit too breezy.
Did some shooting. Did some berm picking.
Brought home 32.2 pounds of range scrap.
Since Sept 1 of this war I have collected just over 220 pound sof the stuff. Ha was when I began keeping track.
Next year I am hoping to get 1000 pounds total.

Yes, I do feel lucky to have this source. I can't imagine paying a buck a pound for lead, then again, I don't have to.

[quasi]

Let me toss this out there....
Coming soon to a town near you..... NO MORE LEAD WHEEL WEIGHTS.......
54920

Its just a matter of time before your source of lead goes away.

I have checked all the tire stores and garages near me and there isn't a source for low cost or free lead (wheel weights).
So I can purchase smelted ingots off this board for $73 for 65 lbs (from the market place) or I could get $54 for 50 lbs from the Captain(a sponsor here). That is still more then what I am paying for certified foundry lead. And if I do purchase lead that someone else smelted there is still no way of knowing that the lead I purchase is pure clip on wheel weights or for that matter doesn't have a little bit of zinc mixed in there (on accident).

Currently I only shoot about 500 rounds a year so yeah based on the rate of consumption, the 3K pounds of lead I have in my possession will last me 182 years if I cast 230 grain boolits.
But you see I cast boolits for my brother Ray and for my dad. Both of them have a higher rate of consumption then me. Also as I get older, my consumption will increase because my kid-free time will increase.
I would say my dad shoots between 100 and 200 rounds per week. so He goes through 5 to 10 K boolits a year. So if he continues at that rate (which I doubt he will as he is 72 years old) then I will be out of lead in under 10 years.

that is a map of North America :veryconfu

[Wal']

Like btroj, went to town today to get some stiches out of my right hand, carpel tunnel op last week, being a Friday & nobody shooting at our local range went with a shovel & rake & came home with another half bucket of range lead from the berm.

Shouldn't have.........the nurse would have killed me if she knew what I was doing with my good hand. :cry:

Only started collecting lead this last six months & luckily have 3 milk crates of ingots already with the range lead & local dealers w/weights.

So, am also considering myself lucky that a good supply is still to be had for free, but also the stark realization that my days of free lead are numbered.

[merlin101]

I dig my lead for free from a berm. I do it because I enjoy it like the sicko I am not because its economical.

I did that today and got about 30lbs and a sore back from bending over so much! Kinda makes me rethink the "free" part!:-?

[geargnasher]

All depends on your budget. A little over a buck a pound for a ton would cost more than my van and my little car are worth. So far, I've got about fifty cents a pound into my ingots, including the cost for camp fuel for my stove (and I just found out I can burn automotive unleaded, which will save me a factor of four over camp fuel), and I don't count my time -- time spent smelting is still fun hobby time for me. That could change; I haven't got close to the bottom of my first bucket of wheel weights yet, but the budget won't change any time soon. If I can get wheel weights for $35 now and then, and fuel for my stove at $3-something a gallon, I can do this stuff. If I have to pay out $2000+ in a lump sum to buy alloy, for no more than I can shoot, I'm better off buying bullets or boolits.

I had to chuckle at your post, and you will too in a few years. I remember getting my first bucket of WW for free from a local tire shop that does lots of ag and equipment tires. As a 120-lb high-school runner, one of the tire guys put the brimming bucket in the back of my dad's truck for me, and back at home dad and I couldn't pick it up together, so I had to distribute it among three buckets to get it unloaded. I thought it would last me thirty years, but it lasted six months between me, dad, and my best friend. Good times casting and shooting all those .38s and .30-30s. Yeah, I thought a pound of Unique would go a long way, too! Funny how one's perspective changes.

If it weren't for having built a wood-fired melter, it would be a little cost-prohibitive to deal with WW and all the other ragged, filthy scrap I scrounge up. I use certified foundry metal sometimes when I need to know exactly what I'm shooting or testing, but most times the a short casting session, Lee tester, and a three-pound hammer over the shop anvil tells me all I need to know about my alloy.

Gear

[I'll Make Mine]

Gear, I know what you're saying about how I'll chuckle in a few years. It's possible; I'd never have predicted that I could afford to buy forty-some working, usable cameras in a period of about four years, with the "play money" I could scrounge from a one-income budget, but I did (it helped that, first, they were all used and rather old, second, that I can extract a lot of information from a slightly blurry eBay photo, and third that I can fix pretty much anything that can be reassembled after taking it apart). However, having to drive an hour and pay $10/hr per person for range time puts a very serious damper on how many rounds I can fire in a year, which limits my load development. Hunting doesn't consume much ammo (at least when you never seem to see game -- I'm zero for lots on rabbits, squirrels, and deer over the past ten months).

Yes, I plan to buy another bucket as soon as I get to the bottom of this one and can afford the $35, but that's because lead wheel weights are on the way out, and any lead I get after the Feds finally ban 'em (I'd guess within the next ten years) will cost more than I'm paying now, so I need to stack up some ingots. Then I need to concentrate on winning the lottery so I can afford to move to New Mexico and live out in the sticks...

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

If it weren't for having built a wood-fired melter

I would really like to see pics/plans/designs

[HATCH]

If I have to pay out $2000+ in a lump sum to buy alloy, for no more than I can shoot, I'm better off buying bullets or boolits.


I am buying for the next 10 years or more worth of shooting.
I don't want to pay as i go. It will get expensive that way.

What some of you don't understand is that not every one has the resources that you have .
All the sources of WW near me are spoken for. I even checked my old job from 15 years ago and they send them back to corporate now too.
I guess i could go mine the public range but its 45 miles away one way. Not worth the drive just for a few scraps that you still have to smelt.

sent from my mobile.

[I'll Make Mine]

I am buying for the next 10 years or more worth of shooting.
I don't want to pay as i go. It will get expensive that way.

No argument there, but I'm like the guy who got his bed from Rent-A-Center -- yes, it costs twice as much that way, but it doesn't require having $800 up front to be able to sleep off the floor. I can afford $35 for a bucket of wheel weights from time to time; if I had $2000 all at once, I'd have to spend it getting the engine rebuilt in my van.

[Oreo]

There is a knack to berm mining efficiently. I live 10min from the range. If I don't get 75 lbs / hr (raw, not ingots) it's not worth the sweat and hard labor, imo. A decent trip is 150lbs. I come home sore, blistered, and exhausted. Any less then a 150lb trip isn't worth the trouble. My mining equipment is very minimal for easy transport and staying inconspicuous to the range management.

[btroj]

My mining equipment in on my hands. I use fingers to pick up bullets one at a time. They go in a large plastic cup. The cup goes down range with me each time I check my target. I can get 5 to 7 pounds in the cup in 5 to 10 minutes. I can then shoot more, make a few more trips down and get more lead. The cup is emptied into a small bucket each time it is filled,no point taking lead down range with me.
Doing it this way I may spend 30 to 60 minutes going over a berm but it isn't a constant berm picking session. It is mingled in with shooting and plinking. I find it takes some of the boredom away from mining. It makes it less like work. It is also a way for those whom I take out to shoot to help pay me back. They shoot, they pick bullets up. I have a daughter who doesn't go out to shoot as much as she does to help get lead. What isn't to like about that.

Like I said, range lead gathering is a long term proposition to me. I keep it enjoyable. I don't want it to become "work". Did that ind of berm mining once. Sand berm, lots of handgun shooters. With a sieve 3 of us filled 7 5 gallon buckets in under 2 hours with range scrap. My truck wasn't real happy about carrying all that back home but it worked out well. Lasted a few years of casting for all of us.

[kenyerian]

last time I took my youngest grandson (Tony) shooting at the range one of his friends tagged along . Every time we checked our targets they had as much fun seeing who could find the most lead as they did shooting . We had a great afternoon as we were the only ones there. Plus I came home with about 30 lbs of scrap plus a lot of brass. ( mostly 223 )

[BLACK3]

Well folks I have to make you all jealous. I am a tire store manager and I am just getting ready to start casting. I currently have about 800 lbs of scrap lead in 5 gallon buckets. Some of which is tape weights. I have a question for you pro smelters. Have any of you melted tape weights and if so do I have to clean the tape off first or does it burn off? At this point I don't believe the lead I have available has any tin or zinc, however you guys know more about lead weights than I. Help a newbe out if you will please.
THANKS
WARREN

[Jim]

..... do I have to clean the tape off first or does it burn off? ..... THANKS
WARREN

It will burn off, but it will smoke and stink to high heaven. Stay out of the smoke and fumes. You'll need something like a large cook spoon to skim the crud off the top when the smelt is done and all the non-lead stuff is burned to an ash.

[BLACK3]

THANKS JIM
I have all the tools except a mould handle. Which I am bidding on this week. after that I believe I am good to go. What temp should I melt at, and what kind of thermometer should I get? Where can I find the type I need also. I forgot about a thermometer.

[I'll Make Mine]

For just smelting, just get the stuff hot enough to melt completely, skim, flux, skim again, and pour your ingots. Do sort your tape weights, aka stick on, from the clip-on kind, as it's useful to have the softer and harder alloy separated so you can mix different proportions for different needs. My experience with the stick-on weights has been that the adhesive burns off, the foam melts or burns, but there's a tape component that neither melts nor burns at minimum smelting temperature; I just skim it off once all the lead has melted. Haven't noticed the fumes are much worse than those due to oil and grease on the surface of the clip-on weights, either.

For casting, if you feel the need for a thermometer (I haven't, yet, but haven't cast more than a couple dozen boolits so far since I haven't any cases to load them into yet, nor propellant and powder to load with), a grill thermometer that goes to at least 750º F is the way to go; under $20 and plenty accurate.

[Beau Cassidy]

I have heard of some people cleaning their ww before smelting them but for me the more grease the better. It is a good flux.

[Plumbous]

I guess i could go mine the public range but its 45 miles away one way. Not worth the drive just for a few scraps that you still have to smelt.
Would that be the Indian Creek range? If so, it would also be tough to catch it at a time when you could have the place to yourself so you could do any berm mining. When I lived in your neck of the woods I shot mostly at Mid Carolina Rifle Club, but since I moved out of state I'm no longer a member. I'll be visiting family next week in Lexington and would love to take some of them shooting, but can't seem to think of anyplace closer.

[I'll Make Mine]

I'll be visiting family next week in Lexington and would love to take some of them shooting, but can't seem to think of anyplace closer.

I shoot at Windy Hill Trading Post in Elkin -- it's a bit more than an hour's drive from Lexington, but it's the only public range I've found in central NC that can handle a full power rifle; all the ranges local to the Triad are indoor, and they don't like to see rifles, never mind ones for which surplus (i.e. cheap) ammunition is steel core that will punch through a half inch plate at a hundred yards.

[GhostRider32]

So did anyone ever determine where the OP made the bulk purchase from?

[HATCH]

Would that be the Indian Creek range? If so, it would also be tough to catch it at a time when you could have the place to yourself so you could do any berm mining. When I lived in your neck of the woods I shot mostly at Mid Carolina Rifle Club, but since I moved out of state I'm no longer a member. I'll be visiting family next week in Lexington and would love to take some of them shooting, but can't seem to think of anyplace closer.

Whitmire range near newberry

[miner49r]

Elkins45/ Hatch,
You guys have been skirting one question... Where did you guys purchase your lead?

[HATCH]

well.. I can't tell you.
I was told from someone who told me not to tell or post it.
So I am sorry that I can't do that.
If someone out there knows the place then they can post it and I am sure they will.
And whats funny is the we both purchased lead from the same place and two different people told each of us where to buy it from.

[KohlerK91]

$1.07 for certified 95/2.5/2.5???

At 50%+ off retail (ROTOMETALS) sounds too good to be true.............and.............If it sounds to good to be true, it usually is.




Elkins45/ Hatch,
You guys have been skirting one question... Where did you guys purchase your lead?

[Nose Dive]

Geee guys... WHERE are you getting the material!! Need names, addresses, emails, phone..sumpin'! Might buy a ton of fun for me too!

Nose Dive

Cheap, Fast, Good. Kindly pick two.

[alha]

Hatch, would it possibly be that you were told not to tell because the supplier has a somewhat limited supply and if the word got out it would be a run like 1849 in CA? ;)